Recently we have watched some attempts to color the eBook readers by LCD displays at varioud products, but that’s not a solution at all. The difference of battery life is too big between LCD display and E Ink. Some hours of LCD vs. some weeks of E Ink does not stand a chance at all to the serious readers.
So a Chinese company, Hanvon has taken the obvious step. The first ever Color E Ink device is going to be presented by them in the next March according to their announcement. The first one will be a 10-inch (9.68 to be precise) touch screen device available only in China at the primary stage, but they are expecting to sell this eBook reader in the US also in the near future. This device is not expected to be a competitor of iPad. It will rather be a device for the serious readers who demand some colors in their reading too.
The battery life of the Hanvon e-reader will be equal to that of other black and white E Ink readers as it will only use a color filter over the same black and white display. The display is not bright as LCD screens and it will not be able to play video files. It is even darker than the usual E Ink readers as it will be using filters.
A big advantage of E Ink Reader is the fact that it will be readable under the sunlight. This device will have both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity like other prominent similar devices. Some may think that the necessity of color is very less in case of serious reading, but the big thing is that the big market of Comics, cookbooks, magazines and children’s books rely on colour.
Hanvon Color E Ink technology does have lots of promises, it only needs proper application. From the pros and cons of this device we can surely say that it is nothing like a tablet or its alternative. Its function is dedicated and simple, reading.
It will be available in China at about $440, cheaper than the iPad that costs in China about $590 though this will not be a matter for the serious readers. It is really a big step where the leaders of eBook readers like Amazon, Sony, Barnes & Noble are following the wait and see strategy. So it will be very interesting to see how much they can do with this brand new technology on their own. More information on this is expected in January.
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